The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt-II holds a special place in the hearts of many U.S. soldiers and airmen. Count me among them, being lucky enough to get stationed with Detachment 2 of the 81st Tac Fighter Wing at Leipheim Germany in the early 90s. Being one of the few conventional Soviet deterrents at the time, we were also lucky enough to stay behind, keeping an eye on the Russians.
I’m still unsure if those years in Leipheim weren’t the best of all. Living in an idyllic small German town was almost like getting paid to be on vacay. We did get a quite nice little BHA (housing allowance) bump for the local economy. Volksmarching, Oktoberfest – tourist jackpot all the way. I think I put more miles on the bike paths than I did going back and forth to work in the car, just a few miles up the road at the base. Becoming a dedicated beer-a-holic has it’s drawbacks, but there is no better place in the world to do it. The brewery across the street from where we lived in Günzburg sealed that deal.
But the A-10 is why we were there, and I got to know her up close and personal. It’s basically obsolete in all but the most permissive environments now, but every dog has his day. The A-10’s days were long and boring because no Russian tank ever needed shot up with that GAU-8 auto-cannon. Best 1-man aerial gun truck ever.
